Scratches in storage area!

[JC]

Just got my Vibe a week ago. We had custom ordered one back in July, but it was going to take too long, so they sold us one off the lot. Pretty much the same car, only it has the DVD Nav (useless to us). They chopped off about $1500 though, so we jumped at it. My wife and I absolutley love it.Anyway, one week later, I noticed a few scratches in the cargo area, on the grey plastic. They aren't very deep, just surface marks. Any safe way too remove these, without further marring the plastic?Thanks in advance guys.JC

[OlDood]

I, too, am in the process of developing a nice set of markings in that area from carrying tables, chairs, wheelchairs, baby carriages, etc. for church activities, luggage marks from our high-speed recreational runs up the coast to Moro Bay, Monterey, and beyond, and claw-marks from Loki, the Wonder Dog on his weekly park outings.I tend to think of those scratches as "character marks" - evidence that this Vibe GT isn't a manby-pamby look-good set of ego wheels. It's a working vehicle, with the battle scars to prove it!

[LocDog]

Umm yea battle scars are cool and all, but i got some deep gashes, i was thinking about sanding it but that might now work out too well.Any suggestions?

[masonjl]

cover them up with the cargo mat.....

[OlDood]

quote:cover them up with the cargo mat.....Actually,what we did was to purchase an ordinary throw rug, about 2.5 x 4' with a non-slip backing in a nice neutral color - around $10 at WalMart or KMart, as I recall. Crosswise on the backs of the folded down back seat, it makes a nice pad for Loki to keep him from skidding around on hard corners. When carrying items likely to add to my collection of utilitarian markings, I turn the rug lengthwise, covering a substantial portion of the cargo area.

[LocDog]

well, the deep scratches are on the back of the passenger seats and there are some on the little table mod seat converter thing next to the driver side.

[Vibe Rater]

Well, ya know, you could very carefully sand the scratches, with progressively finer sandpaper until the worst of the offensive marks are gone. If the scratches are small enough, you may not even need to sand them at all. Then lightly spray a colour match paint on the plastic. I work in an assembly plant and this is how we repair minor scratches on new vehicles before they are shipped. There is a paint that matches perfectly the interior plastic colour and texture (flat) and when sprayed on lightly you cannot tell there ever was a scratch there. Do you really think any automaker could afford to replace an entire dashboard because there is a little scratch on it? Nope. We touch em' up. All interior trim can be repaired using this method. You'd never know and it doesn't hurt ya. After you repair the scratches, use some of the above suggestions to protect the surface from future damage. Now get to work!
[Modified by Vibe Rater, 5:39 AM 10/1/2002]

[1234]

Here is your "Scratch" solution:When I took deliver of my Vibe, the dealer scratched the plastic on my drivers door and sill. OUCH! Anyway, they contacted a company called FibreNew. They fixed my scratches beyond belief, Yip you'd never know it was scratched.They have two locations in Calgary and their work is exceptional. http://www.fibrenew.com/ca.phpGood Luck,Dave

[Vibe Rater]

Sounds like a dietary supplement for a healthy colon.